Houston and Bhubaneswar-based Kutlerri.ai has raised $4 million from Houston-based Narahari Investments to scale its AI agents that help restaurants increase revenue and reduce operating costs.
Founded in December 2025 by former HighRadius executives Kiran Rana and Payal Tripathy, the startup develops AI agents that handle specific revenue and cost-related tasks for restaurants. Unlike conventional software subscriptions, Kutlerri.ai charges operators based on the revenue generated or costs saved by its agents.
The company currently serves restaurants in the US and has more than 10 signed customers. Its product and engineering team is based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha; it also has an office in Houston, Texas. The core founding team includes Ankit Narain and Rishabh Srivastav.
The funding will help scale its first commercial product, the AI Catering Sales Agent, bring three agents currently in beta to market, and develop a mobile-first self-service app.
According to the National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry report, US restaurant and foodservice sales are projected to reach $1.55 trillion in 2026, although 42% of operators surveyed reported that they did not make a profit in 2025.
The association also noted in July 2026 that rising costs continued to put pressure on restaurant profitability. Even before the post-pandemic increase in costs, a typical restaurant retained only about five cents of every dollar earned.
With margins this narrow, even small improvements can make a difference. ai focuses on increasing revenue and reducing costs through AI agents that take on tasks restaurants may not have dedicated staff to manage.
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